(content link) weather.gov    
NOAA link
National Weather Service
  NWS link
National Operational Hydrologic
Remote Sensing Center

National Snow Analyses 3D Interface

Instructions

Below are several links to ".kmz" files suitable for viewing with KML interpreters (such as Google Earth). Software and plugin information can be found here. More information on these products can be found below.

Information for Internet Explorer users
Information for Safari users

Snow Analyses Overlays Snow Reports and Stations
3D with overlays 3D with stations
March 19, 2024Unavailable
March 18, 202422 KB
March 17, 202422 KB
March 16, 202422 KB
March 15, 202422 KB
March 14, 202422 KB
March 19, 2024Unavailable
March 18, 2024488 KB
March 17, 2024489 KB
March 16, 2024492 KB
March 15, 2024489 KB
March 14, 2024511 KB
Latest Snow Analyses Overlays

Archive

Latest Snow Reports and Stations

Archive

If you like this product or have any suggestions, please tell us!

Snow Analyses Overlays

  • The "Snow Analyses Overlays" are small .kmz files which drape overlays of snow model input and output rasters over terrain. These files do not contain the imagery itself, rather they point to data available online. Clicking on the link should open and load the imagery into the client application.
  • By default, the daily image of NSA snow water equivalent will be displayed. To view different rasters, deselect the checkbox corresponding to the currently-displayed raster, and select the checkbox corresponding to the raster that you wish to view.

Snow Reports and Stations

  • The "Snow Reports and Stations" section contains links to larger .kmz files which provide placemarks for stations that have recently reported snow.* Click on the link to the desired file, and your browser should open it in the client.
  • A large collection of placemarks (normally around 3000) will be displayed. More than likely, you will need to zoom in before you can distinguish among them. Each displayed placemark consists of an icon and a station identifier.
  • Stations denoted with a red snowflake have reported snow during the last 24 hours. Stations denoted with a blue snowflake have reported snow during the last week, but not during the last 24 hours. Stations denoted with a transparent blue snowflake (these are rare) have reported snow during the last two weeks, but not during the last week. Stations denoted with the NRCS logo are automated SNOTEL stations.
  • Clicking on the placemark for a station creates a pop-up label with a more detailed description of that station, including its name, type, and elevation. At least two other links will also appear in the label: The "Station Info" link will open your browser to a page showing terrain and satellite imagery centered on the reported location of the station. The "NSA Time Series" link will open your browser to a page showing several graphs depicting time series of NSA data and station observations.

    *Note that a station may report zero values, and that many do this routinely. The presence of a placemark for a station does not necessarily mean that there is snow at the station.

Notes for Internet Explorer users

Due to peculiarities with some versions of Internet Explorer, opening the ".kmz" files can require additional instructions. There are two methods of dealing with Internet Explorer's handling of the files; either of them should work.

  • Click on a link to a .kmz file.
  • Internet Explorer will prompt whether you want to open or save this file. If the name of the file shown in the dialog has a .kmz suffix, you should be able to open it directly with the KML intepreter. If it has a different suffix (for example: nohrsc_nsm_2005121905.zip), another step has to be taken.
Method 1: No extra software
  • Click the Save button.
  • In the next Save As dialog, change the saved filename so that it ends with .kmz (as it originally did), and click Save.
  • Double-click the saved file, and the KML interpreter should open it.
Method 2: Using an unzipping program
  • Click the Open button.
  • Internet Explorer will either let you choose an unzipping program, or will open it with one that was already specified.
  • This will unzip the file, showing the .kml file inside.
  • Double-click that file, and the KML interpreter should open it.

Notes for Safari users

Downloading these files may require additional steps when using older versions of the Safari browser.

  • Control-click (or right-click) the link to the .kmz file.
  • Select "Save Linked File to (whatever your download direction is)", or
    Select "Save Linked File As...", and changed the saved filename suffix so that the filename ends with .kmz, rather than .kmz.txt.
  • Double-click the downloaded file, and the KML interpreter should open it.


NOHRSC
Mission Statement  |  Contact


National Weather Service
National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center
Office of Water Prediction
1735 Lake Drive W.
Chanhassen, MN 55317

NOHRSC homepage
Contact NOHRSC
Glossary
Credits
Information Quality
Page last modified: Oct 27, 2022 - cloud
About Us
Disclaimer
Privacy Policy
FOIA
Career Opportunities